This invention pertains to antimicrobials. In a particular aspect this invention relates to antimicrobials effective in protecting against cocci and bacilli bacterial infections.
Bacteria such as cocci and bacilli are a unique group of organisms embodying within themselves an array of yet unanswered puzzles in biology, both fundamental and experimental. It is recognized that the significance of staphyolococcal infections is not so much in severity, except in a few instances, as in the subleties of the infection due to the unpredictable vagaries of these organisms. The result is the disease continues to be a problem.
Treatment of staphylococcal diseases is complicated by the ability of the organisms to develop resistance. The magnitude of the problem is further amplified by the extreme difficulty of total eradication, and the frequent reappearance of the same strain even after apparently successful elimination. The inability to eliminate the carrier state by any of the currently known methods and the prevalence of the new antibiotic resistant hospital strains have added a new dimension to the frustration situation.
Penicillin G (benzyl penicillin) is still the drug of choice for the treatment of infections caused by susceptible coccic strains. However, numerous strains are known which elaborate an enzyme penicillinase in response to the drug and thus remain insensitive. This led to the development of semi-synthetic penicillins which are not activated by penicillinase, and resistance of staphylococci to these newer penicillins has been reported. However, there is a seemingly never ending demand for anticoccic agents.
A variety of substances are reported which alter host resistance to coccic infections. However, because of the ubiquitous nature of cocci and bacilli, and the diversification of their biological and biochemical characteristics, there is a continuing need for drugs for the treatment of these infections. The existence of multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of the organism suggests the desirability of continuous investigation of drugs for combating the infection. This invention provides an antimicrobial for the treatment of staphylococcic and bacillic infections.